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004 Facts & Forensics

PPIAC Death Investigation Training Save the date – Friday 08/29/2014! Last year AFI-LLC presented ‘Death Investigation for Private Investigators’ to continuing education to private investigators, as well as attorneys and investigators for the Colorado Public Defenders Office. This training and fundraising event returns this year and is again sponsored by Associates in Forensic Investigations, the Professional Private Investigators Association of Colorado, and the Colorado Public Defenders Office. Please contact VP of Training for PPIAC, Stason Ikenouye at stason@overwatchcolorado.com and the PPIAC website at www.PPIAC.org.

The PI-Map from GIMG.tv
GIMG.tv has just added a new link at the top of our page called “The PI-Map”. With this map you can click on the state and a window will pop up to provide you the Regulatory Body in that state if licensing is required. In addition the PI Association for the state will also be displayed if one exists. We hope you find this resource of value. Our goal is to drive people to the right information and resources with in our community. http://gimg.tv/map/

Police Need Warrant to Search Cell Phones, Top Court Says
Police usually must get a warrant before searching the mobile phone of a person being arrested, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, saying the vast trove of information on modern devices requires broad constitutional protections. The unanimous decision comes in two cases that tested the reach of privacy rights in the digital age. More than 90 percent of American adults own mobile phones, giving the ruling broad practical significance.

Continued at http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-25/mobile-phone-searches-by-police-limited-by-u-s-supreme-court.html

Wood Chipper Fatality in Florida
Sadly, an arborist was killed when he was completely drawn through a commercial wood chipper. These are both rare and difficult to investigate. While in training at the local medical examiner’s office, Karen assisted Dean when he was called out to one in December 2005. Also being responsible for the notification to the next-of-kin, this was also a very difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends and co-workers of the arborist.

One of Dean’s most requested presentations is his investigation of this case. The interest begins as morbid curiosity – but with great respect, Dean uses this unique case as an investigative training for a single-decedent mass disaster fatality investigation. The case was selected to be published in the Journal of Forensic Identification, official journal of the International Association for Identification. For those interested in the complexities of such a case, the article is available at http://www.deathcasereview.com/uploads/8/7/3/8/8738199/woodchipper_fatality_identification_-_pages_883-890_from_jfi_vol_57-6.pdf

Why Proper Investigation is Important
On June 18, 2014 a story was published by a Denver metro-area news outlet that contains misinformation and mischaracterizes the events that took place during a recent river incident. The incident in question was a river rescue that took place on May 26, 2014 and tragically took the lives of two males in the Cache la Poudre River northwest of Fort Collins. The news report implies that the Poudre Fire Authority (PFA) did not respond appropriately to the call in a timely manner and that impacted the outcome of this unfortunate incident. We are very saddened at the loss of life on the Poudre River. However, the facts of PFA’s involvement in the incident need to be set straight.
— Read this at http://tinyurl.com/krfvn7n

As personal injury and death investigators, we often review the protocols and actions of public safety agencies – to support, refute or introduce pertinent information. One thing we do not do is consider media reports — they are ‘hearsay’ at best. The PFA should be commended for clearly and concisely setting this record straight. It is this type of misinformation that can cause persons to be wrongfully arrested or convicted, or sued and held liable. More importantly – this casts the exceptional agencies in bad light, and PFA is a nationally and internationally top ranked training facility and public safety agency. This also demonstrated the fast response of a volunteer agency – the Poudre Canyon Fire Department. This step by step response is what the news agency should have conducted on their own, before reporting false and damaging information. Finally, having worked at the medical examiner’s office – we have been involved with all of these agencies, river rescue and recovery. The loss of a loved one (two in this incident) and in such a traumatic event is not comprehensible. It should not be exacerbated by misrepresentation of the facts. When an agency is unable to accomplish its tasks in a positive way – the live rescue of a person in this case – it is also traumatizing to those involved. PFA respectfully addressed the fallacies of the media report – which, in honesty, seemed particularly odd when reported – but then again, we are familiar with response times and mutual aid protocols. The media reports information. Facts, apparently, are another matter.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”